Perspectives | Perth USAsia Centre Podcast

On 28 November 2018, the Perth USAsia Centre launched the Lowy Institute's Asia Power Index. The launch was hosted at Government House and featured The Hon Kim Beazley AC, Governor of Western Australia; Professor Stephen Smith, Director of Perth USAsia Centre; Dr Michael Fullilove, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute; Hervè Lemahieu, Director of Asia Power and Diplomacy Program at the Lowy Institute; and Professor Rikki Kersten, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Arts, Business, Law and Social Sciences, Murdoch University.

Madelyn Creedon is the 2018 Alliance 21 Fellow, established by the US Studies Centre, Perth USAsia Centre and the US Department of State. Prior to this, Madelyn served as the Principal Deputy Administrator of the US National Nuclear Security Administration working on nuclear and space policy issues. In this podcast, Madelyn explores her work in the US Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, provides an overview of the role of international treaties in nuclear non-proliferation and an analysis on nuclear countries in the Indo-Pacific region. SHOW NOTES: • The beginnings of a career in nuclear policy (1:40) • Working in the US Department of Energy (2:15) • Joining the Alliance 21 Fellowship (3:10) • Working in the National Nuclear Security Administration (3:52) • A typical day in the NNSA (4:42) • Where is the world today on nuclear non-proliferation? (5:40) • Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Treaty and its role in nuclear non-proliferation (7:08) • The role of nuclear energy in a sustainable future (8:16) • Australia’s regional role in nuclear non-proliferation (8:48) • Thoughts on President Trump’s US Nuclear Posture Review (11:33) • The challenges faced by the US on implementing the US Nuclear Posture Review (13:15) • The nuclear threats in the Indo-Pacific region (14:15) • The North Korean nuclear situation (15:02) • An overview of China’s nuclear capabilities (17:10) • India and Pakistan’s frameworks to produce nuclear weapons (17:45) • The securitisation of the space frontier (18:28)

Chris Rodwell, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA) discusses his passion for creative arts and how his curiosity led to a career working around the world, most recently as AusTrade Commissioner to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Chris also explores the emergence of Latin America and how Perth has the opportunity to become a business and industry hub in the region. SHOW NOTES: • What is the role of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA? (2:20) • Following your curiosity – from university to your career (3:44) • Creative arts are fundamental in exploring humanity (4:45) • Importance of language today (6:30) • Disconnect between Australia’s education and a globalised world (7:55) • How Australian businesses value of in-country experience (9:00) • Australia’s direct and transactional approach in business relations (9:55) • Breakthroughs in trade diplomacy in Australia and Latin America (10:58) • The first ever trade delegation to Cuba (15:23) • Australia’s economic potential to work with Cuba (16:45) • The key opportunities in Latin America (19:42) • Perth’s potential as a business and industry hub in the region (28:10) • Connecting the business community with society (32:30)

Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University explores widespread police corruption in Indonesia. The practice of police corruptions affects Indonesians every day. Despite recent efforts to address police corruption, the continuing cycle and complicity of corrupt practices remain strong and continue to pose challenges for necessary reform and change taking place in the near future. SHOW NOTES: - What Indonesia was like two decades ago (1:00) - Work for the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (5:08) - 2014 radio documentary on human rights violations in Indonesia (7:00) - Study on police activity in Indonesia (8:45) - Research on police shootings in Indonesia (10:05) - Solutions to the police issues in Indonesia (10:26) - The scope of police corruption in Indonesia. How and why it happens. (12:48) - Causes of corruption in Indonesia (15:38) - Why corruption continues in Indonesia (17:49) - Interactions between political actors and police. Implications of these relations (19:11) - The police-military conflict (21:35) - Jokowi and his administrations take on police corruption (23:47) - Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) (27:55) - How the KPK is perceived (30:00) - The KPK’s relationship with the police (30:49) - Police Chief of the Indonesian National Police, Tito Karnavian’s agenda and role (32:40) - The Indonesian public’s view of corruption (37:42) - How will corruption issues effect the political landscape with the upcoming election? (41:10) - Where will Indonesia and its corruption problems be in the next 15 years? (42:50)

Following the recently signed Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam in March 2018, Dr Huong Le Thu provides a timely exploration of the evolution of Australia-Vietnam relations while identifying the main issues in Vietnam's contemporary domestic and foreign policy. Dr Le Thu shines a light on the strategic thinking of Vietnam and identifies several trends to keep an eye out for in the coming years which will unfold in Vietnam. As part of the Centre's expanding strategic focus, the Centre published its first special report on Vietnam featuring a contribution from Australian and Vietnamese scholars, including Dr Le Thu. Read it here: http://perthusasia.edu.au/vietnam-special-report SHOW NOTES • Developing a research interest in Vietnam (3:28) • What is it like working in a think-tank? (5:15) • The difference between think-tank and academia (6:50) • The similarities and difference between China and Vietnam (13:14) • Leadership movements in Vietnam (17:11) • Discussing Vietnam’s domestic politics in public (18:40) • Understanding Vietnam’s anti-corruption campaign (20:30) • What to keep an eye out in Vietnamese domestic politics (22:50) • Shared strategic outlook between Australia and Vietnam (26:08) • Current issues Australia and Vietnam should work on (27:24) • Vietnam’s peace keeping efforts (28:40) • How Australia is viewed in Vietnam (29:25) • What is Vietnam’s strategy to manage China’s rise? (31:10) • Vietnam’s strategic thinking – “duality” (31:50) • Vietnam’s neighbourhood, rivalry and history (33:40) • Literature on Vietnam’s history (35:18)

Scott Snyder, Council on Foreign Relations, returns to Perth to launch his most recent book "South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers" and to discuss the recent developments surrounding North Korea. He discusses the recent meeting between Kim Jong-un and President Xi Jingping, the upcoming US-North Korea Summit, Kim Jong-un's motivations to negotiate and the prospects of a grand bargain on the Korean Peninsula. Scott has visited Pyongyang over a dozen of times and he has discussed this in his previous Perspectives episode in 2016. You can listen to it here: https://bit.ly/2IrOwnk SHOW NOTES • Kim Jong-un’s motive to talk with US President Donald Trump (2:45) • President Trump’s business approach to North Korea (4:00) • Kim Jong-un’s meeting with President Xi Jingping (5:15) • How do sanctions “bite” North Korea and Kim Jong-un? (9:18) • The corrosiveness of information penetration in North Korea (11:40) • South Koreans amidst a US-North Korean Grand Bargain (14:10) • The annual US-South Korean Military Exercises (15:25) • South Korea’s diversified foreign policy strategies – ASEAN, India, Europe (26:20) • What should everybody know about North Korea? (27:30) This podcast was recorded on 4 April 2018 prior to the developments of the inter-Korean Summit

Japan is famously known to have one of the oldest populations in the world. The Japanese government has a challenging task ahead while the shrinking and ageing population has serious implications on its national economy. Bill Hall, President of IPSOS Healthcare Japan, is an Australian who has lived and worked in Japan since the early 1970s. Bill discusses the economic implications of an ageing population in Japan but also discusses the exciting business opportunities for the future.

Vietnam has emerged as one of Australia’s most important strategic partners in Southeast Asia and it seems that both countries are poised to reach new heights in their strategic relations in the coming years. Ambassador Craig Chittick, Australia's Ambassador to Vietnam, shares his perspective on the future of Australia-Vietnam relations and how his love for Vietnam emerged twenty years ago. SHOW NOTES - Becoming a diplomat “by accident” (1:15) - Working on Southeast Asian issues (3:30) - Some of Ambassador Chittick’s proudest moments in DFAT (4:50) - Visiting Vietnam in 1998 as an Australian backpacker (6:15) - Australia and Vietnam signing the Strategic Partnership Agreement (8:25) - Vietnam is a modern economic success story (11:30) - The linkages between Australia and Vietnam are strong (16:40)

On 27 February 2018, Walter Douglas, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy and for Regional and Security Policy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Department of State, delivered a keynote address on the Australia-US alliance and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

According to the Doomsday Clock, it's two minutes to midnight and many fear that the world is edging closer to a nuclear apocalypse. Dr David Santoro, Director and Senior Fellow at the Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu, Hawaii, assesses the situation on the Korean Peninsula and explores policy options of nuclear defence, deterrence, tailoring and the infamous "Bloody Nose" policy.

In Australia, the think tank community is still growing and many Australians have yet to truly understand what a think tank does. Kyle sat down with three former interns, Jake, Emily and Kelly, and Perth USAsia Centre CEO, Professor Gordon Flake, to explore the common misconceptions surrounding the think tank sector and its importance in the foreign policy/ international relations sphere. SHOW NOTES Former Interns - Jake, Emily and Kelly - What is your definition of a think tank? (2:30) - Do your friends know what a "think tank" is? (3:26) - When did you first hear the term "think tank"? (6:01) - Why do you think think tanks are important? (7:03) Professor L. Gordon Flake, CEO of Perth USAsia Centre - Professor Flake's think-tank career background (8:17) - What is your definition of a think tank? (9:45) - Many Australians think a "think tank" is an "action" (10:35) - Debunking the myth: Think tank community doesn't "do" anything (11:44) - There are rare moments in this career where you can point to something and say "Yes, we did that!" (16:17) - The future of think tanks revolve around the question: how are they funded? (19:26) - Australia's think-tank community is growing, it's punching above its weight (24:05) - The idea of a career in a think-tank community is a relatively new concept (26:32)

The Australian Foreign Policy White Paper was released in November 2017, the first of its kind in 14 years. To understand Australia’s foreign policy plan, Kyle sat down with DFAT WA Director, Andrea Gleason, and Former Deputy Prime Minister and Former Australian Ambassador to the US, The Hon Kim Beazley. Andrea offers the Australian Government perspective, breaking down the game plan of Australia’s foreign policy and explores the values and priorities Australia’s foreign policy is anchored and informed by. Kim expresses his opposition to the Foreign Policy White Paper, but is nonetheless impressed with what DFAT has created. He also draws upon his decades of experience sharing his observations on the Korean Peninsula, the rise of emerging Indo-Pacific powers and advocates for anti-globalisation. You can download Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper on https://www.fpwhitepaper.gov.au/foreign-policy-white-paper and connect with us on www.perthusasia.edu.au. Show notes Andrea Gleason: - The Foreign Policy White Paper is a strategic framework and everyday Australians have a stake and a role in Australia's engagement with the rest of the world (12:00) - Australia has a broad range of soft power assets (20:40) - Australia's vision for the Indo-Pacific will inform how Australia addresses and manages the geopolitical challenges in the world (23:10) - The growing Asian middle class is described as the greatest economic transformation in 200 years (35:40) Kim Beazley: - The rising Indo-Pacific region is not just about China, but also about India, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea (13:35) - The North Korea situation has the potential to destroy Australia economically (24:21) - The "Age of Deterrence" was the "Age of Transparency". Today, we are in the "Age of Defence". In defence, you keep high levels of secrecy, not transparency. (24:41) - A miscalculation on the Korean Peninsula can destroy Australia economically (26:50) - The US is no longer a defender of the rules-based global order (28:50) - For Australia to pursue protectionist and economic nationalist policy would be "economic death" for Australian children and their futures (39:10)

Professor Simon Jackman, CEO of United States Studies Centre, discusses his early career working at Stanford and his assessment on the first year of a Trump presidency - from the possibility of impeachment to the US influence in the Indo-Pacific region. To stay connected with the Perth USAsia Centre: www.perthusasia.edu.au

Dr Bibhu Routray, Director of Mantraya and Inaugural ICCR Chair of India Studies and Visiting Professor at Murdoch University, discusses his time working on national security affairs for the India's Prime Minister's Office, the great power relations between India and China and the emerging challenges in the South Asian neighbourhood. To stay connected with the Perth USAsia Centre: www.perthusasia.edu.au

On 9 November 2017, India's High Commissioner to Australia, His Excellency Dr A.M. Gondane delivered a keynote address at The University of Western Australia on Australia-India relations.

On 9 November 2017, India's High Commissioner to Australia, His Excellency Dr A.M. Gondane delivered a keynote address at The University of Western Australia on Australia-India relations.

Ben Flatgard, Alliance 21 Fellow and Founder and Principal of Cycise, sits down with Kyle Springer to discuss his career as Former Director of Cybersecurity Policy on the National Security Council during the Obama Administration from 2009-2017 and his perspective on the future of cybersecurity and its emerging threats around the world. (Image sourced from The Hill). To stay connected with the Perth USAsia Centre: www.perthusasia.edu.au.

Professor Richard Heydarian sits down with Perth USAsia Centre's Reginald Ramos to discuss his recently published book, 'The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy'. Professor Heydarian explores the popularity of President Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial historiography of the Marcos dictatorship and the tragedy of the political culture in the Philippines. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons). To stay connected with the Perth USAsia Centre: www.perthusasia.edu.au To order a copy of 'The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy': https://www.palgrave.com/de/book/9789811059179

Paul Stares is a conflict prevention expert at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. Paul talks about how we can anticipate conflict and crises and adopt prevention models like those used in health and public safety. Paul has identified six possible crises which could unfold in the Indo-Pacific and derail the region's much-anticipated economic growth and political stability.

On this episode of the Perspectives podcast, the US Consul-General Rachel Cooke discusses with Kyle Springer about her passion for marine science, the importance of the blue economy, the opportunities and challenges facing our future in the maritime realm, the intersection between marine science and international diplomacy, the future of ocean energy and more. To learn more about In The Zone: The Blue Zone conference being held on 2 October 2017 in Perth, please visit http://perthusasia.edu.au/itz-2017